what's a cracker without some queso?

today i left work earlier than usual and went to the protest (walkout, boycott, family reunion, immigration nation) in union square.
there is so much turmoil, so much SHIT going on right now.
people are angry. they feel left out, exploited.
the puertorican government is shut down. my island is done.
people are afraid of minorities and it's unimaginable. this country was built by immigrants.
today i walked into a market, and commented to a friend about how lovely it is that italian products and culture are now a great part of our life, and how the treats of her childhood are easily accessible.
i look forward to a day when i can see tidbits of my culture EVERWHERE, not just at the essex market, or in east harlem.
i want to see export sodas at whole foods and i want to hear everyone talk about the young lords. and albizu. and about someone other than daddy yankee.
rey barreto, betances, julia de burgos. it's not just about puerto rico. it's about accepting latinos as americans. as intellectuals. as something other than poverty-stricken illegals. or minimum-wage welfare babies.
we're here. and we're everything. we're students, doctors, and lawyers, and we're teachers and we're postal workers, and we're everything. we're everything everyone else is.